KAIST Chronicles: PART 2

KAIST Chronicles: PART 2

Story of a Saudi Arabian-born Bangladeshi who lives in Korea and is surrounded by more Internationals (a very, very diverse background)

My name is Fahim Masum. And I’m a foodie. It is basic human nature to consume food. And boy do I love consuming food. Whether you’re a foodie or not, you want to enjoy what you eat. Luckily for present and future Korean-goers, Korean dishes are very diverse and suit many different tastes.

In Korea, the main items in the common household diet are fish, eggs, and vegetables. Koreans eat healthy; they are one of the healthiest countries in the world, and obesity is observed in a very small minority of the population. If you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, Korea is food heaven. But as I had stated earlier, Korean cuisine is very diverse. Streets are lined with restaurants which serve all manner of dishes like ‘Bibimbap’, ‘KImbap’, and ‘Kimchi’ for vegetarians and meat lovers alike, and ‘Bulgogi’ and ‘Sogogi’ dishes for the carnivorous folk.

Being a Saudi Arabian-born Bangladeshi, I grew up eating a diet consisting largely of meat and spices. Since coming here, my diet is still mostly unchanged. Because I’m a Muslim, and since Korea has a very small percentage of Muslims, I had initially feared that I would be forced to drastically reduce my meat consumption. However, Korea has its fair share of ‘Halal’ sources, and with the country’s universities looking to internationalise more, I expect the number of ‘Halal’ food chains to increase in the near future.

Finally, in Korea, even the universal student meal item, ramen (or ‘Ramyon’ as they call it here), has a lot of different flavours to choose from. And they’re extremely inexpensive, so if you’re ever looking for a cheap but tasteful meal, look no further than your nearest convenience store and grab a ‘Ramyon’.

So here’s a recap of my second chapter; it doesn’t matter if you’re Muslim or Hindu, or a vegetarian or meat eater. In Korea, you’ll have all manners of food items to choose from. And most of those items are quite healthy as well. If you’re leaving home for the first time and coming to Korea, you can at least be at peace knowing that the food will be the least of your problems.

End of PART 2. Hope you enjoyed the read!

Disclaimer: This article was submitted by Mr. Fahim Masum for Write for KISA programme. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of KAIST International Students Association (KISA). For more details visit the Write for KISA page.